The present invention relates to a device or system for monitoring a personal condition and indicating such condition to the wearer of the device and/or to a care giver. More particularly, the present invention relates to a monitoring system utilizing a microprocessor to monitor a personal condition and to indicate occurrence of such condition.
A variety of devices for monitoring undesirable personal hygienic conditions are known in the art. For example, various devices for monitoring whether a diaper is wet are known in the art. Diaper monitoring devices typically include a wetness detecting sensor coupled to the diaper to detect wetness and an indicator, such as an alarm or a light, that may be used to indicate to the care giver that the diaper is soiled and must be changed.
With the growing recognition of adult incontinence, wetness monitoring devices have been adapted for adult use. If the device is to be used by a cognizant adult, a vibrating mechanism may be provided, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,977,906 to Di Scipio, instead of an indicator noticeable by third parties. The use of a vibrating mechanism provides privacy by alerting only the wearer, thereby preventing embarrassment which may occur if an auditory alarm were sounded.
With the increase in use and popularity of wetness detecting devices, additional capabilities or functions have been added to such devices, such as sensors for determining whether the patient has left his or her bed or is in distress. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,452 to DePonte discloses a device for monitoring wetness and also heat (to determine whether the patient has left the bed). U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,033 to Norton discloses a patient monitoring device which notifies not only of wetness but also of a distress condition such as whether the chair in which the patient is seated is tilted.
The increased availability and reduced cost of microcontrollers has permitted various improvements to simple personal monitoring devices. For example, the use of a microcontroller permits additional monitoring capabilities to assist in regulating diaper-changing frequency or to assist in toilet training. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,128 to Nair, a self-learning wetness detector with a timer land recording device may be provided if a microcontroller is used. A microcontroller records wetness incidents and predicts when wetting will next occur, i.e., the microcontroller learns the wetting pattern of the child. The timer device thus records wetting events, calculates when the next wetting event will occur, and, in anticipation of another wetting event, indicates when the child should be taken to the toilet. Adult incontinence monitoring devices may;be provided with timing devices as well. For example, the above-mentioned patent to Di Scipio discloses the use of a timer for biofeedback purposes and/or to predict the next occurrence of an enuresis incident.
Advances in technology have also resulted in advances in the indicator devices used with personal monitoring devices. For example, remote signaling features may be provided to assist a care giver in monitoring a bedridden individual using a personal monitoring device. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,370 to Vetecnik, a wetness monitoring device with a timer may be used to emit radio signals to a remote station so that the care giver may monitor the patient without being near the wetness detecting device.
Despite the variety of features provided with personal monitoring devices, such devices typically are designed as single-function devices which monitor only a single condition. However, an individual with one condition, such as enuresis, may have other conditions which warrant monitoring as well. For example, the physical position of a bedridden individual must have his position adjusted regularly to prevent development of decubitus ulcers or bed sores. However, a care giver may attend to an enuresis episode without also adjusting the patient""s physical position if not properly reminded to do so. Nonetheless, wetness indicators do not typically signal that any other type of care, other than attendance to the wet condition, is required.
Yet another drawback of known personal monitoring devices is that the focus of such devices has been to monitor the patient, not the level of care given to the patient. In particular, there is no manner of monitoring the frequency or alacrity with which a care giver responds to the warning signal emitted by the detecting device and tends to the wearer. Thus, the use of a personal monitoring device gives no assurance that the device will actually be used as intended.
In accordance with the present invention, a monitoring system is provided to detect the occurrence of an undesired condition which may cause discomfort to an individual. Such conditions include, without limitation, wetness (such as that caused by enuresis), and lack of physical movement (which may cause bedsores). The monitoring system may be formed to indicate the monitored condition for detection only by the wearer or for ready detection by another individual, such as a care giver.
A monitoring system formed in accordance with the present invention may be configured to detect more than one condition, such as wetness as well as lack of physical movement or repositioning of the individual. Thus, a care giver need use only a single monitoring system to monitor more than one condition of the patient, e.g., whether the patient has soiled undergarments and/or bedsheets and also whether the patient needs to be turned or to have his or her position otherwise adjusted to prevent the development of bedsores. By using a single monitoring system to monitor more than one condition, the present invention facilitates the care giver""s job. Because the care giver only needs to refer to one monitoring system, there is less risk that the care giver will forget to check a separate monitoring device for a separate condition to be monitored. Moreover, the consolidation of separate monitoring devices into a single monitoring system reduces costs as well as clutter.
Preferably, the monitoring system of the present invention includes a processing means such as a microcontroller, microprocessor, or other device capable of performing various functions such as monitoring the occurrence of a particular condition and the frequency with which the condition has been alleviated. The use of a compact processing means such as a microprocessor reduces the size of the monitoring system and permits features to be provided on the device which have not been provided on existing devices. For example, the processing means may be designed to record that a monitored event has occurred and also to record the time elapsed between emission of the indicator signal (indicating that the monitored condition or event has been detected) and attendance to the patient by the care giver. Such a feature may be used to monitor the frequency and promptness with which the care giver is attending to the patient. Moreover, the processing means can be configured to keep an ongoing record for future reference. A reader device may be provided to read the information from memory associated with the processing means and, if desired, to upload the information to another processing means or larger processing system.
The monitoring system of the present invention may be made to transmit signals, such as via radio transmitters, to a remote location, such as a monitoring station in the care facility, so that the signals can be monitored centrally and/or recorded at such location. Thus, the care giver need not be near the patient when a signal indicating occurrence of the monitored condition is generated.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, the scope of the invention being set out in the appended claims.